So take your time "interviewing" your surgeon with the following top questions so you feel certain that the procedure and the surgeon are right for you.
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How will the surgery be performed? (Ask him or her to draw you a diagram, if you like.)
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Is there more than one way of performing the procedure?
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Are there alternatives to the surgical procedure?
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What are the benefits of the surgery?
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What are the risks of the surgery?
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If I opt NOT to have the procedure, what are the risks/benefits?
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What is the expected outcome of the surgery?
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How many of this (or similar) surgery do you perform each year? (A good indicator of experience and ability)
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What kind of anesthesia will be used? (And what are the risks/benefits of it?)
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Will I meet with an anesthesiologist before surgery?
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Will my heart rate and breathing be monitored during the surgery (and is anything else monitored)?
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At which hospital will the surgery be performed?
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How often is this procedure performed at that hospital, and what is the success rate? (Studies show that patients do better in hospitals that have experience with the procedure.)
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How long will I be in the hospital?
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Is there a 24-hour recovery room in the hospital (or, where will I recover in the hospital)?
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What are the qualifications of the staff in the recovery room?
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What are my options for pain control after the surgery?
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How long will it take me to recover?
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What will the procedure cost, and is it covered by my insurance?
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What about a second opinion? (Getting a second opinion is fairly common before an elective surgical procedure is performed.)
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Will you please mark the location of the surgery on my body ahead of time? (This helps to ensure that the wrong site is not operated on, which does, fairly rarely, sometimes happen.)
--I think this is from six-wise
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